Maryhill Magic

Maryhill Museum of Art will present its annual Outdoor Sculpture Invitational May 10 - October 31, 2008. The exhibition features large-scale works in a variety of media by Northwest artists Gregory Glynn, Stuart Jacobson, Alisa Looney, David Miller, Dennis Peacock, Mylan Rakich and Tom Urban. Exhibiting artists and Maryhill’s curator of exhibits, Lee Musgrave, will lead an exhibit walk on Saturday, May 17 at 4 p.m. as part of the museum’s Members’ Day festivities. Admission to the museum’s sculpture garden is free.

The museum inaugurated the Outdoor Sculpture Invitational in 1996 to complement its extensive collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures and to give Northwest artists an opportunity to create and exhibit large-scale works. Lee Musgrave, the museum’s curator of exhibits, says “We strongly believe in encouraging the continued development of contemporary Northwest sculpture.

The dramatic views and rugged landscape of the Columbia River Gorge provide a unique setting to experience these sculptures, which this year range from the figurative to abstract, distinctly reflecting each artists’ sensibility and influences.

Artist Alisa Looney of Portland says “I draw from years of experimental dance, the place where I find my greatest moments of free expression.” Her process starts by creating drawings of live dancers, which she then transforms into three dimensional paper forms, and finally, into large-scale metal sculptures.

Gregory Glynn lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington and draws inspiration from forces of nature to create organic looking abstract sculptures which, he says, “evoke a sense of a world in flux and reveal a potency that dwells in living forms.”

A golden cloud and a shaft of red light are what David Miller of Eugene, Oregon says motivated his travertine stone sculpture. Despite its weight of almost one ton, the piece appears light and billowy. Stuart Jacobson of McMinnville, Oregon also works in stone. Trained in landscape design, Jacobson says he enjoys the resistance and physical challenge of working with stone. “I was inspired by the Moai sculptures of Easter Island and try to give my sculptures a timeless quality, fusing primitive with modern aesthetics.”

At 16 feet high, Quarter Banker by Dennis Peacock, is the tallest sculpture in the exhibit. Peacock, who resides in Shelton, Washington, says “Poetry, subject to my own interpretation and context, works as an initial catalyst.” Peacock’s characteristic forms - abstract, linear, elongated and graceful - also reference the artist’s enduring childhood memory of a large ship beached on the Oregon coast.

In addition to works in the 2008 Outdoor Sculpture Invitational, visitors to Maryhill can also see sculptures from the museum’s collections that are on permanent display: on the grounds — works by Brad Cloepfil, Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon White, and in the museum — Auguste Rodin.

RELATED EVENT: Members’ Day at Maryhill - May 17, 2008

Discover Maryhill all over again on this day honoring the museum, its founders, members and friends. A number of events suitable for visitors all ages are planned throughout the day, including:

Drive the historic Maryhill Loops Road
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

In honor of Sam Hill, the museum is opening the historic Maryhill Loops Road for automobile traffic and invites visitors to experience the grandeur of this scenic drive. Maryhill Loops Road. Free!

All About Landscapes
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Come be inspired by Percy Manser’s landscapes of the Gorge as well as other traditional and contemporary images of the natural world. Then create your own landscape using oil pastels. The museum educator and volunteers will be on hand to guide you.

Manser and Dolph — Mid-Columbian Men of Art
2:00 p.m.

Delight in this program, developed by scholar Jim Tindall and actor Tom Pencheon, which touches on the relationship between Percy Manser and Clifford Dolph, director of Maryhill Museum of Art from 1938 to 1970.

Outdoor Sculpture Invitational Garden Walk
4:00 p.m.

Celebrate the opening of the Outdoor Sculpture Invitational with a garden walk featuring participating artists and curator Lee Musgrave.

Experience the Enchantment: About Maryhill Museum of Art. Perched on a stunning 5,000-acre site overlooking the scenic Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill Museum of Art contains a world-class collection of artwork that ranges from early 20th century European works to Native American objects. This award-winning museum, founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, opened to the public in 1940. Outside the museum is an Outdoor Sculpture Garden, Lewis and Clark interpretive panels and a life-sized replica of Stonehenge.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission fees are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. Visit www.maryhillmuseum.org for more information.

Photo: Quarter Banker by Dennis Peacock exhibited in the 2008 Outdoor Sculpture Invitational.

Maryhill Museum of Art invites residents of Adams, Lincoln, Pend, Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman counties to visit FREE the weekend of April 12 and 13. Residents of those counties need only present their driver’s license and receive complimentary admission.

This is the 16th year the museum has offered this incentive to its neighbors. “This is a great opportunity to experience the new exhibits on view,” said Colleen Schafroth, director. “A special exhibit this year is Percy L. Manser: Grandeur & Light (March 15 - July 6), an outstanding regionalist artist that lived and worked in Hood River, Oregon.”

Manser (1886-1973) was inspired by the grandeur of the mountains and valleys of the region and he began to paint landscapes that quickly became widely popular with residents throughout the Columbia River Gorge. The exhibit marks the 60th anniversary of Manser’s first solo exhibition at Maryhill and includes more than 50 paintings, photographs and documents. The exhibit and related programs are sponsored by Humanities Washington, Kate and Jack Mills, and Marylee and Doug Hattenhauer.

Maryhill Museum of Art, one of the Northwest’s most fascinating cultural destinations, opened March 15th for its 69th season. Set in a castle-like chateau on a stunning 5,000-acre site overlooking the scenic Columbia River Gorge, the museum contains a world-class collection of art that ranges from early 20th century European works to Native American artifacts. Combined with its outdoor sculpture garden, Lewis and Clark interpretive panels and life-size replica of Stonehenge, a visit to Maryhill can fill an entire day as guests experience its many treasures.

The museum’s permanent collection includes a gallery filled with more than 80 sculptures and watercolors by the French master Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), including a plaster version of his famous The Thinker. There is also an impressive collection of paintings by French, Dutch, Belgian, British and American artists, and a series of miniature displays highlighting the fashions of post-World War II France. Contrasting with these European works is an extensive Native American collection that includes ancient petroglyphs, intricate baskets and beadwork, and an array of other artifacts from North American tribes. Other highlights include a collection of unique chess sets, Russian Orthodox icon art, and a gallery dedicated to the royal regalia of Queen Marie of Romania, a friend of Sam Hill’s who presided at the museum’s dedication.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission fees are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. Visit www.maryhillmuseum.org for more information.

Photo: Percy L. Manser (1886-1973), Mount Rainier, 60 Degrees North, ca. 1960, watercolor.

Maryhill Museum of Art invites the public to the opening of its 69th season on Saturday, March 15 with a special exhibition of rarely shown paintings by noted Pacific Northwest artist Percy L. Manser (1886-1973). A Hood River, Oregon resident, England-born Manser was known as “The Grand Old Man of Hood River Painters,” and specialized in paintings that captured the grandeur of the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascade Mountains. The exhibit consists of 48 paintings drawn from private collections and public institutions from throughout the Northwest and ends July 6.

March 15 opening activities include:

2:30 p.m. talk by Manser scholar and Hood River resident Jim Tindall entitled Percy Manser, the Man and His Art.

4 p.m. gallery walk by museum curator Lee Musgrave to discuss the work on view.

1-4 p.m. visitors are invited to express their creativity through the art of landscape collage with art educator Mary Cooper. Using basic art techniques, visitors are invited to create landscapes based on their unique sense of color, line, balance and perspective. Children under 17 will be admitted free with one paid adult admission.

Percy Manser’s style of painting in the plein air tradition captures the grandeur and light of the region and earned him a reputation for glowing oil paintings and radiant watercolors. Manser won more than 100 awards in exhibitions from Portland to New York and earned an eminent place in Northwest art. Several times during the 1930s he was selected to represent Oregon at the American Artists Professional League exhibition at Rockefeller Center in New York.

His work was exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, and the Portland Art Museum and at numerous other venues of note. Maryhill Museum now has four Manser paintings in its permanent collection, all of which are in the exhibition. One of them, Fall Landscape (c. 1960 oil on board), was a recent gift from Jim and Sue Foster. “Few artists have been as admired as Manser for the gentle manner in which he encouraged individuals to allow art to enrich their lives and to enhance their community,” said museum curator Lee Musgrave.

“My grandfather sang to start the day and almost every day would include a song called ‘Look for the Silver Lining,’ and I think he looked for that in his paintings, too,” said Marilyn Manser Avolio of Hood River, Oregon. “It’s very appropriate for an exhibit to be held at Maryhill as he loved the museum. The fact that Maryhill was away from the big cities and in a rural area pleased him. He loved the countryside around the museum — the hills, the river, the rocks, and the light and shadows there.”

During his lifetime, Maryhill Museum of Art presented five Percy Manser exhibits. This current exhibit will mark the 60th anniversary of the first solo exhibition of his work at Maryhill Museum. Manser’s paintings are also in the permanent collections of the Portland Art Museum, Oregon Historical Society, University of Oregon and numerous other public and private collections. The Percy L. Manser: Grandeur & Light exhibit and related programs is sponsored by Humanities Washington with additional support from Marylee and Doug Hattenhauer and Kate and Jack Mills.

Photo: Percy L. Manser (1886-1973), Golden Autumn, undated, oil on canvas. Collection of Marilyn Manser Avolio.

Maryhill Museum of Art, one of the Northwest’s most fascinating cultural destinations, opens March 15th for its 69th season. Set in a castle-like chateau on a stunning 5,000-acre site overlooking the scenic Columbia River Gorge, the museum contains a world-class collection of art that ranges from early 20th century European works to Native American artifacts. Combined with its outdoor sculpture garden, Lewis and Clark interpretive panels and life-size replica of Stonehenge, a visit to Maryhill can fill an entire day as guests experience its many treasures.

First opened to the public in 1940, the museum’s origin is as intriguing as the works of art it contains. Originally built as the home of wealthy entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill (1857-1931), the massive concrete mansion was to be part of a Quaker agricultural community Hill hoped to establish on the property. When the arid landscape proved unsuitable for large-scale farming, the building remained unfinished until a friend convinced him to turn it into an art museum. Hill, a lawyer, businessman, world traveler and staunch promoter of road construction and automobile travel, dedicated the museum in 1926 but died before its completion 14 years later.

The museum’s permanent collection includes a gallery filled with more than 80 sculptures and watercolors by the French master Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), including a plaster version of his famous The Thinker. There is also an impressive collection of paintings by French, Dutch, Belgian, British and American artists, and a series of miniature displays highlighting the fashions of post-World War II France. Contrasting with these European works is an extensive Native American collection that includes ancient petroglyphs, intricate baskets and beadwork, and an array of other artifacts from North American tribes. Other highlights include a collection of unique chess sets, Russian Orthodox icon art, and a gallery dedicated to the royal regalia of Queen Marie of Romania, a friend of Sam Hill’s who presided at the museum’s dedication.

2008 Special Exhibitions
Maryhill Museum sponsors numerous programs and events. Special Exhibitions in 2008 include:

Percy L. Manser, Grandeur and Light (March 15 - July 6, 2008). Manser (1886-1973) was an outstanding regionalist of his day, who lived and worked in Hood River, Oregon. Inspired by the grandeur of the mountains and valleys of the region, he began to paint landscapes that quickly became widely popular with residents throughout the Columbia River Gorge. The exhibit marks the 60th anniversary of Manser’s first solo exhibition at Maryhill and includes more than 50 paintings, photographs and documents.

The Maryhill Outdoor Sculpture Invitational (May 10 - October 31, 2008), an annual exhibit in the museum’s sculpture garden presents large-scale works by some of the Pacific Northwest’s most noted sculptors including Don Anderson, Gregory Glynn, Stuart Jacobson, Alisa Looney, David Miller, Dennis Peacock, Mylan Rakich and Tom Urban.

Andy Warhol and Other Famous Faces (July 19-November 15), from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation, the exhibit includes portraits by Andy Warhol (1928-1987) of The Beatles, Sitting Bull, General Custer, Geronimo, Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter, Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the emblematic Campbell’s Soup Can (Tomato). Also shown are portraits by artists Jennifer Bartlett, Chuck Close, Osvaldo Salas Freire, Red Grooms, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Mel Ramos, Robert Rauschenberg and Tom Wesselman. They portray Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, John and Robert Kennedy and others.

Visiting, Dining, Shopping…and Stonehenge
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. As a private non-profit corporation, the museum is funded by donations, memberships and admission fees of $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Children 5 and under are free. Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more with advance reservations. The sculpture garden, picnic grounds, the Stonehenge Memorial and parking are free.

Visiting Maryhill is easy. Located off Highway 97 in Washington, 12 miles south of Goldendale, it may be accessed from Oregon in 2008 via I-84 (cross on US 197 at The Dalles Dam Bridge approximately 24 miles to the museum). Maryhill is a two-hour drive east of Portland and four hours southeast of Seattle. Overnight accommodations are available in Goldendale, The Dalles and Hood River.

Café Maryhill is one of the best places to dine between The Dalles and Pendleton, offering a unique atmosphere in which to enjoy great sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries. Picnic lunches feature a sandwich served on a fresh roll, homemade potato salad, fresh fruit and dessert. Open 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Watch out for the peacocks strolling the grounds!

The Museum Store includes books, jewelry, Native American art and mementos to allow patrons to take their visit to Maryhill Museum of Art home.

Four miles east of the museum is Sam Hill’s replica of England’s Neolithic Stonehenge. Hill built the full-scale Stonehenge Monument as a tribute to the soldiers of Klickitat County who lost their lives in World War I. Nearby is the Klickitat County War Memorial honoring all of those who provided the ultimate sacrifice since the “War to End all Wars.” Admission is free from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily. Hill’s crypt is on the south side overlooking the river.

For more information, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org.

Photo: The Grace Blue by Jeffery Weitzel with Maryhill Museum in the background.

Click on the arrow in the middle of the screen to play.

The Maryhill Festival of Speed, a five-day, multi-discipline, gravity sports event took place September 11 through 15 on historic Maryhill Loops Road. The museum began discussions in 2005 with Volcanic Promotions, organizers of the event, about how to make this skateboarding, street luge and gravity bike competition a world class event.

As a result, the event was much more than just a race. Competitors spent five days in a festival type atmosphere with a rider’s tent and food/drink vendors on site as well as spectators viewing areas. Further, the community of Goldendale served as the site for the athlete campground and party with live entertainment. Sponsor for the event was EX Drinks.

The event was sanctioned by the International Gravity Sports Association and thus brought top ranked gravity racers from around the world. Marcus Rietema, IGSA president was so impressed with the race that the IGSA World Championships will be held August 26 through 31, 2008 on historic Maryhill Loops Road.

Construction of Maryhill Museum’s Historic Loops Road began in 1909. It was the first asphalt paved road in the Northwest and was used to connect the Columbia River with the community of Goldendale, WA prior to the construction of U.S.97. The road is located just east of U.S. 97 off of WA14 on property owned by Maryhill Museum of Art.

In 1998, 3.6 miles of the road were restored. They consist of 25 curves, 8 of which are hairpins. The distance from the entrance gate to the upper parking lot is 2.8 miles. Access is free daily for pedestrians and bicyclists (except when special events are scheduled). The road is available for driving and skateboarding only by gaining prior approval from Maryhill Museum.

This video features Trent Radway, a 9-year old from Goldendale and his family. Trent first visited Maryhill during Museum Week, a special week we hold each year for over 700 third and fourth graders. What grew out of Trent’s visit here was truly magical.

The video was produced by Mike Midlo and Ian McCluskey. Both were long-time producers for OPB and are now independent film makers. Mike produced the Emmy-award winning biography on Sam Hill for OPB and two video podcasts for Maryhill: The Day the Columbia Ran Backwards and Gadzooks! Amazing Books by Northwest Artists.

Photo: Jill Timm, Falling Leaves.

There is still time to see the special exhibition of fantastic books created by Northwest artists at Maryhill Museum of Art. More than conventional books these creations are visual journeys where illustrations and letters pop off the page or unfold like origami. The exhibit includes books by 15 contemporary Northwest artists and historic manuscripts from Persia, Spain and the Middle East. The last day to view the exhibit is November 15.

“The exhibit includes an extensive spectrum of the current explosion of creativity in this fascinating art movement here in the Northwest,” stated Lee Musgrave, curator of exhibits. “Visitors who have seen the exhibit have expressed excitement about the wonder and enchantment of each book.”

Today, book artists are willing to explore beyond the surface or edge of the pages. Their creations are quite different from conventional books: they are visual journeys, unfolding dramas and sequenced ideas that reveal a wondrous world of images, text and remarkable engineering.

Artists included in the exhibit are Sue Allen (Brightwood, Oregon), Ian Boyden (Walla Walla, Washington), Inge Bruggeman (Portland, Oregon), Timothy C. Ely (Colfax, Washington), Mar Goman (Portland, Oregon), Sarah Horowitz (Portland, Oregon), Diane Jacobs (Portland, Oregon), Roberta Lavadour (Pendleton, Oregon), Catherine Alice Michaelis (Shelton, Washington), Margaret Prentice (Eugene, Oregon), Jim Riswold (Portland, Oregon), Douglas Shafer (Portland, Oregon), Barbara Tetenbaum (Portland, Oregon), Jill Timm (Wenatchee, Washington), and Shu-Ju Wang (Portland, Oregon).

“There are beautiful tunnel books including two by Jill Timm about fall leaves and winter elk,” stated Musgrave. “An engaging book made completely of embroidery by Roberta Lavadour and a page from an 18th century Persian book showing an exquisite Garden Scene are among the almost 50 items in the exhibit.”

Because many of these books are one-of-a-kind and are in private collections they are rarely available for exhibition. Chances are that they will never be in an exhibit together again. The exhibition is sponsored by the Walter Bailey Foundation.

American family farms face a wide range of issues and concerns. Twelve Northwest artists and twelve farmers explored these evolving agricultural practices in the exhibit Sustaining Change on the American Farm: An Artist-Farmer Exchange. This exhibit of original works of art presented at Maryhill Museum of Art in 2006 is transformed into a traveling format that consists of 13 large panels now on view at the City Club of Portland through November 30, 2007.

Originally curated by Lee Musgrave, curator of exhibits at Maryhill Museum of Art, the traveling panel exhibit is now on loan from the Washington State Historical Society. For a year before the original exhibition, Maryhill Museum paired artists with family farms in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Through a process of dialogue, reciprocity and collaboration, the artists reflected on the sustainability strategies of these farms. The show provides an innovative dialogue in developing greater sensitivity to rural communities and to social and environmental responsibility.

The exhibit consists of a full color panel for each artist-farmer team that includes photographs of the artwork with written commentary and a statement from the farmer. There is also a panel with comments by Lee Musgrave and Don Stuart, regional director of American Farmland Trust. The original project was a joint venture between Maryhill Museum of Art and the American Farmland Trust and was sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The exhibit can be seen 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday at the City Club of Portland located at 901 SW Washington Street in Portland. For more information on the exhibit or the City Club of Portland go here.

City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and research based civic organization dedicated to community service, public affairs and leadership development. Through weekly Friday Forums, citizen-based research reports, special programs and issue committees, the Club examines issues of importance to the Portland metropolitan region, the state and society as a whole. Over 1,500 members represent a cross section of people in business, government, social services and other professions, who are committed to making a positive difference in our community. Members encompass all ages and come from a wide range of ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Membership is open to all.

Photo: Bonnie Meltzer, Bequest, 2005, mixed-media on wood.

Join us Sunday, October 28 at Maryhill Museum of Art for a celebration of the traditional Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). From 1:00 to 4:00 pm featured activities include music, art, food tasting and folk dancing. The program is open to all ages and children under 17 are free with one paid adult.

The festivities begin at 1:00 pm with the music of Los Temerosos, a popular, regional Mariachi band. “Bring your entire family for an afternoon of fun activity and celebration,” said Carrie Clark, curator of education. “Try your hand at painting papier-mâché skulls with artist Armando Olveda and watch traditional Mexican folk dancing.” It will be a great day for local families to learn about this tradition that honors ancestors with colorful art, food, music and altars.

Day of the Dead has its roots in ancient Mexican traditions that celebrate the lives of our ancestors. “It is not a somber, sad event.” said Clark. “Instead, families honor their ancestral loved ones with favorite foods, elaborately decorated altars, music and dance.”

The Hood River Mexican Folk Dance 4-H Club will demonstrate traditional dancing. The day will conclude with a performance by Grupo Condor, playing folk music from Latin America. An original retablo, Our Lady of the Winter Snows by Bend artist Cristina Acosta, will grace the performance area.

The program is being sponsored by Wal-Mart of Hood River, Oregon with special food treats provided by Ayutla’s Family Restaurant in Goldendale, Casa El Mirador in The Dalles and Nanny’s Bakery in White Salmon.

The famed French fashion mannequins of Maryhill Museum of Art are to be included in two important exhibitions overseas. The Theatre de la Mode continues to enhance all discussions of fashion in the 1940’s and to enchant audiences through its enduring haute couture.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is staging The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947. The exhibition will include five of the Theatre de la Mode mannequins dressed by some of the most important couturier houses of that time. This exhibition can be viewed from September 22, 2007 to January 6, 2008. A catalog has been published to accompany this exhibition and because of the important fashions included from museums worldwide, it is considered a “must see”. Visit their website for more information at www.vam.ac.uk.

The Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona in Spain has planned a very unusual exhibition entitled Be-Bomb: The Transatlantic War of Images and all that Jazz, 1946-1956 and will run from October 5, 2007 to January 7, 2008. Maryhill Museum of Art is lending the Theatre de la Mode set décor designed by Jean Cocteau, the noted French designer and artist. It is a perfect companion to the works of Pablo Picasso, Willem De Kooning, Jean Dubuffet and many others. This exhibition breaks with tradition by including film, fashion and many aspects of the media to tell the story. An extensive catalog of the works is available from the museum. For more information visit their website at www.macba.es.

“Let me reassure fans of the Theatre de la Mode that we will have three set decors and over forty mannequins on view at Maryhill Museum of Art next year” says Betty Long-Schleif who curates this collection. “It is such an honor to be allowed to care for this collection here at Maryhill and still share it with the countries that participated in its creation.” Visit www.maryhillmuseum.org and www.maryhillmagic.com for more information.

Photo 1: A square-necked draped cocktail dress in yellow jersey designed by Jeanne Lafaurie, 1946. Accessories of purple suede. Photo credit: Laurent Sully Jaulmes.

Photo 2: Theatre de la Mode décor “Ma Femme est une Sorciere” (My Wife is a Witch) by Jean Cocteau. Mannequin Couturier designs from left to right: Mad Carpentier, Calixte, Marcel Rochas. Flying above them is a mannequin in a gown designed by Pierre Balmain. Photo credit: Laurent Sully Jaulmes.

Barbara Tetenbaum, Ode To Grand Staircase (for four hands), 2001.

On Saturday, September 29, 2007, Maryhill Museum of Art will participate in “Museum Day,” presented by Smithsonian magazine and Hyundai Motor America. Museum Day is a day when museums and cultural institutions nationwide open their doors free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors. Celebrating culture, learning and knowledge, Museum Day reflects the spirit of the magazine, and emulates the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, DC-based facilities. This year’s Museum Day is also supported by CITGO Petroleum Corporation and, for the third consecutive year, TIAA-CREF.

“We want to join with museums in the Northwest to invite our friends and neighbors in for the day,” said Colleen Schafroth, executive director of Maryhill Museum of Art. “Museums are repositories of human enterprise, and as such, should be available to all.” Last year, approximately 30,000 people attended Museum Day. Forty-nine states were represented by 448 participating museums, including 55 Smithsonian affiliates.

Attendees must present Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day Admission Card to gain free entry to participating institutions. The Museum Day Admission Card is available in the September issue of Smithsonian magazine and a downloadable version is available on the Museum Day website at www.smithsonian.com/museumdaycard. The general public is welcome to participate by going to the Smithsonian.com website and downloading the Museum Day Admission Card. Listings and links to other participating museums’ and sponsors’ sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

1946 Couture: Blanche Issartel.

Join us for two special presentations by Maryhill’s curators on Native American basketry and the Théâtre de la Mode. Costume Society of America’s Western Region members will be visiting Maryhill Museum of Art on Saturday, October 27, 2007 from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm. Registration for this event is required but is open to non-members. Join them for a tour of two exhibitions of exquisite design and handwork and the luncheon business meeting. To register please contact Nancy Bryant, CSA event registrar, at BryantN@comcast.net before October 15.

At 11:00 am Mary Dodds Schlick will give a curator’s tour of the baskets in the gallery of Native People. A master artist in the Oregon Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, Mary’s experience is based on forty years of work with Native American weavers, including sixteen years in residence on Indian reservations in Washington and Oregon. She is the author of Columbia River Basketry: Gift of the Ancestors, Gift of the Earth and more recently Coming to Stay, A Columbia River Journey about her life among the Plateau People. She is the adjunct curator of the museum’s Native American collections.

At noon the Costume Society of America will conduct their luncheon business meeting for the Western Region. Unregistered members may attend by paying the museum’s general admission fee and have the choice of buying their own lunch from the Maryhill Cafe.

At 1:30 pm join Betty Long-Schleif, Maryhill’s collections manager, for an inside look at the famed 1946 Théâtre de la Mode French fashion mannequins. “This collection is the main reason I came to work at Maryhill Museum nineteen years ago,” Betty says. “They are a priceless part of fashion history.” Conceived by leading fashion designers and artists to support war relief after the devastation of World War II, this collection is the only one of its kind in the world. It came to the museum in 1952. Since then it has traveled to France, London, Tokyo, New York, Baltimore, Portland, Honolulu and Seattle. This year part of the exhibit will travel to Barcelona, Spain.

Maryhill Museum of Art, the Goldendale Motorsports Association, and the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts presents a weekend of activities, September 29 and 30, where the car really is king. On Saturday, the 9th annual Concours de Maryhill car show takes place on the lawns of the museum from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. On Sunday, spectators can view the hill climb race from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission to both events are free.

Saturday, visitors can see a number of mint condition vintage, classic and custom cars to admire. “The legendary Sam Hill, founder of Maryhill Museum of Art, was a car and road enthusiast,” said Colleen Schafroth, executive director. “He would love this event.”

“This is an open car show with lots of categories, so anyone with a special car may enter,” said Travis Gray of the Goldendale Motorsports Association. “Collectors interested in showing a car are encouraged to contact us at (509) 773-3677. The lawns at the museum are extensive so there is space available for lots of cars and this is the last major car show of the season.”

At noon the 40 vintage race cars parade down Washington Scenic Route 14 and into the car show. These 1930 through 1960s cars will also be competing in a hill climb race on the museum’s Historic Loops Road on Sunday. From 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Saturday children are invited to build a race car from fruits and vegetables and enter it in a race on a special 40 foot ramp. All supplies will be provided at no cost and each child will receive a prize. Refreshment vendors will be on site, including Café Maryhill. Car show awards will be presented at 3:30 pm. The day’s activities are being sponsored by the Brim Family.

The hill climb race begins Sunday, September 30 at 9:00 am and can be viewed from the overlook on U.S. 97 three miles north of Washington Scenic Route 14 or from the historic Maryhill Loops Road east of U.S. 97 off Washington Scenic Route 14. Access to the overlook is free. At the Maryhill Loops Road the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce has organized parking, food vendors, and a shuttle that will take visitors to designated viewpoints along the race route. The Chamber is charging a fee for parking and riding the bus. For more information, contact the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce at (509) 773-3400. The race is organized by the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts of Seattle and only their approved cars and drivers will be competing.

Liz Cranston, teacher at North Sherman Elementary School in Wasco, makes art at Maryhill Museum with Annalee Anglin of The Dalles. Photo by Nayland Wilkins.

Maryhill Museum of Art invites third and fourth grade teachers to bring their students for one day of exploration and fun around the theme of books to Museum Week this year. Students will be making books, discovering the creative world of contemporary book making, learning about the history of the written word, and more. Museum Week at Maryhill Museum of Art is an annual event. Classrooms come for one day, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm during the week of October 8-12. The program repeats each day during the week.

During the day students will make their own book guided by artist Karen Saró Troeger. A special docent-led exploration of the exhibition Gadzooks! Amazing Books by Northwest Artists will illustrate the history and diversity of the printed word. Portland’s Actors in Action will end each day with an original play Pecos Bill and the American Heroes.

This is the sixteenth year that students have come to Maryhill for Museum Week,” said Colleen Schafroth, executive director. “The program was established to show children how art can be used as a bridge to better understand cultures and themselves. Teachers and students have made Museum Week our most popular educational program and we are proud to offer it to area schools.”

There is a limit of 150 students per day and classes will be registered on a first-come basis. There is a $3.00 per student admission fee and teachers and chaperones are free. Admissions, materials, and snack are included in the cost. Participants should wear nametags and bring a lunch. To make a reservation, teachers may contact Maryhill Museum of Art at (509) 773-3733. Museum Week is sponsored by Diane Plumridge and Art Dodd, and by the U.S. Bancorp Foundation.

A limited number of bus transportation funding grants are available through the generous support of Rob and Barbara McCormick. Schools needing financial assistance for transportation or more information can contact the Museum Education Office at 509-773-3733.

Quantum Man by Julian Voss-Andreae

This year’s annual curated walk through the Outdoor Sculpture Invitational on May 19 was well-attended by a number of museum members and friends. Among those were long time members Connie and Jack Bloxom. “Incredibly moved by the work, the Bloxoms decided to help Maryhill Museum acquire the work as a permanent addition to the Outdoor Sculpture Garden with a generous gift,” stated executive director Colleen Schafroth “and all of us here at the museum are extremely grateful to them for making this possible.”

Created of stainless steel, the sculpture stands over eight feet high. Inspired by quantum physics, the work presents a moving figure created out of waves of lines perpendicular to its direction of motion. It plays off the idea that the world is fundamentally different than how it appears but rather is made up of unseen particles organized in waves.

Julian Voss-Andreae has made more than one version of Quantum Man. Currently one can be seen in the West Edge Sculpture Invitational in Seattle this summer. Seattle Times art critic Sheila Farr wrote “For sheer sparkling energy, Julian Voss-Andreae’s Quantum Man 2 is another winner. Moving through space one layer at a time, like it’s been sectioned by an MRI machine, Quantum Man 2 is a blur, sort of a 3-D version of Marcel Duchamp’s locomoting Nude Descending a Staircase.” An earlier version of the work won the People’s Choice award in this year’s Sculpture without Walls exhibit in Moses Lake, Washington.

The artist Julian Voss-Andreae is a German-born sculptor based in Portland, Oregon. As a youth he studied painting but then changed course and studied physics in Berlin and Edinburgh before going on to graduate work in Vienna, Austria. In 2000 he moved to the United States and his passion for art was rekindled. He earned his BFA in sculpture at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. More about the work and the artist can be found at http://www.julianvossandreae.com.

“The Outdoor Sculpture Invitational was begun in 1996 to complement the museum’s extensive collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures,” said Lee Musgrave, curator of exhibits. “The addition of this piece to its permanent collection is really tremendous.” It joins other permanent works in the Outdoor Sculpture Garden by artists Brad Cloepfil, Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, and Jeff Weitzel.

Glass roosters by Kris Joy will be among the variety of art on display at the Maryhill Arts Festival.

The Maryhill Arts Festival is an exciting and uniquely Northwest experience. Held under a canopy of trees in the picnic grounds at Maryhill Museum of Art, the festival is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19. The event promises a fun-filled weekend where art, music, and food can be enjoyed by all. Admission to the festival is free.

Over 50 talented artists from throughout the region will showcase original, quality art alongside a special exhibition by the Pacific Northwest Sculptors. Plus the museum’s annual Outdoor Sculpture Invitational exhibit featuring 17 large-scale works will also be on display.

“Visitors are invited to stroll through displays of beautiful paintings, photography, jewelry, glass, ceramics, sculpture and much more,” said Colleen Schafroth, executive director. “Many of the artists will be giving art demonstrations and there will be free art-making activities for children and live music.”

Hourly musical presentations on the stage include jazz guitar by Charles Crosman, jumpin’ music with Joanie’s Jazz Trio, the sweet sounds of Swing Crew, Lew Jones, Jamba Marimba Band, and the amazing Saw Cordius.

The Food Court will feature a wide selection of treats from the Lyle Hotel Restaurant, Casa El Mirador, Buona Sera Catering, and Café Maryhill. Beer and wine will also be available. The event is sponsored by Comfort Inn of The Dalles with promotional support by KACI Radio.

Book artist Roberta Lavadour shows book making techniques
to young artist, Mckayla Perry.

Maryhill will end its summer of Family Fun Days with an afternoon of special programming on books Sunday, August 12, 2007 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. “This afternoon of book fun will offer opportunities to learn about books and even try your hand at making your own book,” said curator of education Carrie Clark.

From 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. join Jim Carmin, librarian for Multnomah County’s rare books collection, as he shares his knowledge of books. Moreover, Carmin encourages everyone to bring one or two books that they hope to learn more about. Carmin has been head of special collections at Multnomah County Library for almost ten years, has been a rare book specialist at Powell’s Books and an art librarian at the University of Oregon where he oversaw the art and architecture oriented special collections. Additionally, Carmin is a book artist himself and owns a letterpress and binding studio.

Throughout the afternoon visitors will also have opportunities to make their own book with book artist Roberta Lavadour. The simple book form Lavadour will teach will delight and amaze you! Four half-hour sessions are offered beginning at 1:00, 1:30, 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. Lavadour’s work can be seen in the current exhibit at the museum Gadzooks! Amazing Books by Northwest Artists. She says that her “artist’s books usually grow out of the act of engaging with these materials, and my small rural community, and discovering the unexpected.” Lavadour lives in Pendleton, Oregon where she owns Mission Creek Press. This Maryhill Fun Day is sponsored by Paul and Sue Laughlin.

During the day, visitors will have time to explore the museum and view Maryhill’s newest exhibit Gadzooks! Amazing Books by Northwest Artists. More than conventional books, more than text, these creations are visual journeys, unfurling dramas, sequenced ideas with unusual bindings and molded cases where illustrations pop off the page or unfold like origami and letters take three dimensional form. The exhibit is sponsored by the Walter Bailey Foundation.

Click on the arrow to hear Lee Musgrave, curator of exhibits, discuss
Gadzooks! Amazing Books by Northwest Artists.